Wednesday 24 August 2016 05:58, UK
Chelsea's search for a new centre-back has taken them the length and breadth of Italy this summer, but who is their latest target Alessio Romagnoli and how does he compare to their current defenders? Ben McAleer of whoscored.com takes a look...
When it was confirmed Antonio Conte would take over the reins at Stamford Bridge upon the culmination of Euro 2016, the Blues were quickly linked with a move for Italy international Leonardo Bonucci.
After realising a deal for the Juventus star was unlikely, Chelsea switched their interest to Kalidou Koulibaly and Kostas Manolas, but with Napoli and Roma keen to retain the services of the respective duo, the west London side are said to be pursuing other targets.
It has since led them to Romagnoli, though AC Milan are not keen to sell the 21-year-old centre-back. Indeed, the Serie A giants are believed to have rejected a £30m bid for the young defender and unsurprisingly so.
Milan endured a disappointing campaign last term as their fall from grace continues, despite spending heftily last summer to improve their fortunes.
One of the primary arrivals was Romagnoli, who joined from Roma for a little over £20m. After a season of service, Milan would be reluctant to cash in on a defender likened to club greats Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva.
Conte stressed the need for a new defender following the 2-1 win over Watford last weekend, stating: "If you look now at our squad, we have only five defenders - four that started today and an academy player Ola Aina."
If Chelsea are to launch a sustained assault for the Premier League title, then reinforcements in defence are required, even without European duties to contend with. At the time of writing, John Terry, Gary Cahill and the returning Kurt Zouma are Conte's primary centre-back options, heightening the need to strengthen in defence with a little over a week until the transfer window shuts.
For all of Terry's mental strengths, a lack of pace can be exposed, which also is applicable to Cahill, while Zouma is not yet ready for his Premier League return following a serious knee injury sustained back in February.
There was plenty of talk of Conte using a three-man defensive system when he took charge, but the fact of the matter is he does not have the personnel available to him to implement such an approach. The arrival of Romagnoli would improve the manager's flexibility given the Italian's versatility in defence.
As a left-footed centre-back, the youngster would boost the defence's balance and present the Blues boss with the necessary options to mould his side as he sees fit.
Upon his appointment, Conte said of himself: "The coach is a tailor who must make the best dress for the team." Clearly, he's tailoring a system that suits the players at his disposal. In N'Golo Kante he has the ideal midfielder to shield the defence, allowing for the full-backs to press forward.
Furthermore, Michy Batshuayi has proved how big an impact he can make from the bench, netting once and providing an assist in his 22 minutes of Premier League action as a substitute. It's no surprise Terry and Cahill sat deeper in the wins over West Ham and Watford.
In Romagnoli, Conte would then have at his disposal a player that would allow him to explore the possibility of a three-man backline to close the space between the defence and midfield. His athleticism and speed across the ground would further improve Chelsea, with Romagnoli's impressive reading of the game one his strongest traits.
He's made more interceptions (149) than any other player aged 21 and under in Serie A since the start of last season, while he's tremendously difficult to pass having been dribbled past just 23 times in his last 65 league appearances.
An 85.6% pass success rate over the same period is also a respectable return for the centre-back, who is able to bring the ball forward and play out from defence. With Chelsea averaging the third most possession (59.4%) in the Premier League this season, Romagnoli has the technical qualities to seamlessly transition into Conte's starting XI.
Interestingly, though, is how the Italian differs from previous defensive targets, suggesting that the Blues boss isn't in the market for a specific type of centre-back, but rather one he believes can improve the team as a whole.
While physically, Romagnoli may still need to develop, he still ticks the boxes of the archetypal modern-day centre-back in that he is as capable in the air as he with the ball at his feet. As the minutes tick towards the close of the transfer window, Chelsea can be expected to up their offer for the Italy defender as Conte strives to bolster the defence.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find live in-game data as well as player and team ratings. You can follow scores, statistics, live player and team ratings with their free app.
